Tanka Rules

  • A tanka must be exactly 5 lines.
  • The lines must follow the 5-7-5-7-7 format:
    • The first & third lines must have 5 syllables.
    • All other lines must have 7 syllables.
  • A tanka usually expresses a mood, thought, or feeling.
    • It is usually written about nature.
  • A tanka does not have to rhyme.

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Fun Fact
The word “happy” is used
three-times more than “sad.”

Examples

Weather Tanka
It's getting colder
One blink and winter is here
But I feel so warm
Warmer then I've ever felt
I'm passionately in love
Dear Haiku
Haiku, dear haiku
in the summer I write you
While the sun shines bright
and by the ocean I sit
Just kidding, it's a tanka
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